446 RIDING DIFFICULT HORSES. 



and have allowed the animal to literally take the 

 reins of authority in his teeth. It requires a good 

 deal of physical strength to control a hard puller, 

 and I have had my gloves and hands badly cut in 

 wrestling w^ith particularly headstrong brutes. On 

 the other hand, some horses which have really nice 

 mouths, get the name of being pullers, on account 

 of having been ridden by "mutton-fisted" men who 

 hang on to the reins and thus irritate them beyond 

 control. I am reminded of a big Australian horse, 

 about seventeen hands high, which Mr. Macklin, the 

 Australian horse - shipper, brought to Calcutta and 

 lent me to ride in a paper-chase there. This animal 

 carried me perfectly, although his rough rider (more 

 "rough" than "rider") afterwards showed me an un- 

 jointed snaffle bent almost double, which he said had 

 been caused by this "pulling devil of a horse"! 

 There is a great deal of truth in the saying, that if 

 you don't pull at a horse, he won't pull at you. I 

 am sure that many horsemen, and certainly every 

 riding member of my sex, will bear me out in stating 

 that women manage pullers far better than do men, 

 because they do not hang on to their mouths, in 

 order to help them in keeping their seats. Where 

 many w^omen greatly err in riding confirmed pullers, 

 is in inability to take sufficiently harsh measures 

 which are needed for their control. I am aware that 

 there are animals, especially race-horses, which cannot 

 be held at all until they have gone a certain distance. 

 The pace holds them, but such headstrong animals 



